Lonnie Nevitt-Gililland Cole was born on Oct. 17, 1917, in Tempe, Ariz., the daughter of Joseph Lon Nevitt and Emma Gililland, both of whom had been born in Hardin County, Ky., and arrived in Arizona around 1900. Lonnie’s father died three days before she was born. Her mother married a new husband and moved to Prescott, leaving Lonnie and her two older brothers, Kenneth and Harold, to be raised by relatives in Tempe. Lonnie was eventually adopted by her mother’s brother, Robert Gililland and his wife Jessica. Lonnie graduated from Tempe Union High School and Arizona State University, before beginning her primary education teaching career at Kyrene. She was married to then Tempe High School football coach Ben Cole, who precedes her in death, having passed away in 2002. The couple eventually moved to the Globe area where they both taught until retirement. Ben and Lonnie spent some 20 years in retirement in Rico, Colo., before moving to Holbrook to join their son Ben Jr. Lonnie lived in Holbrook from 1992 until 2012, and spent her final years in assisted living in Cortez, Colo., the residence of her daughter Rita. Lonnie died on July 20, 2016, and a memorial service is planned at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct 22, at Tempe Double Buttes Cemetery.
